| Upcoming Events |
November 16; 7 pm
LPC's Holiday
Open House
November 25;
10 am - 2 pm
December 8; 6-9 pm
Portsmouth
Thursday's Child Benefit Dinner at The Coach House Restaurant
March 1, 2018
New London
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Loon Center Hours
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Fall/Winter Hours:
Thursday-Saturday,
9 am - 5 pm
Markus Wildlife Sanctuary Trails are open from dawn to dusk 7 days a week all year.
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Shop Online and Support LPC
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When you #StartWithaSmile, Amazon donates 0.5% of the purchase price to the Loon Preservation Committee
Click here
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| Contact Us |
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P.O. Box 604
Lee's Mill Road
Moultonborough, NH 03254
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Fall is trucking right along here in New Hampshire. The unusual weather in late September and early October made for a slightly less colorful leaf-peeping season, but I think it was still gorgeous nonetheless. With above average temperatures last month, many loons have probably not felt the push to move to their wintering grounds just yet, but I imagine they will leave soon. The adults usually leave the juveniles behind, but please don't panic. They make their way to the ocean too! We try not to worry until the ice comes in, leaving just a small area for the loons to take off.
The pictures below were taken on November 1 on Pleasant Lake in New London. Both the male and female are still on the lake (we know this because they are both banded), but again, that's not a big surprise considering the warm-ish weather we've been having lately. Their fall molt seems to be progressing, but it's neat to see the subtle individual differences even between adults on the same lake!
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The male loon on Pleasant Lake does not seem to be quite as far along in his fall molt as the female pictured below. Photo courtesy of Kittie Wilson.
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It looks like the fishing is still good based on the size of the hornpout the female has in her bill! She seems to be a little farther along in her fall molt, as her neck looks completely white.
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Photo courtesy of Kittie Wilson.
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M
ake sure to mark your calendar for LPC's Holiday Open House on Saturday, November 25 from 10 am to 2 pm. It's great fun for the whole family! The raffle drawing is held towards the end of the event so don't forget to buy your tickets. You don't have to be present to win. As the holiday season approaches, I would also like to remind you that if you shop on Amazon, you can do so and support LPC. Bookmark this link so you can support us every time you shop!
In the last e-newsletter (Vol. 65), I included some pictures that were captured on our nest cameras on Squam Lake. For the sake of keeping the newsletter to a reasonable length, I only shared a couple with you. See below for a few more that I didn't want you to miss. Enjoy!
If you were affected by the most recent storm, I hope your power has been restored and you did not have much damage. It may be that Mother Nature has been trying to tell us something--and it might be good idea for us to start listening!
All the best until next time,
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Save the Date for The Loon Center's
Saturday, November 25
10 am - 2 pm
Hay Rides, Kid's Crafts, Face Painting, Balloon Animals, Squam Lakes Natural Science Center Discovery Table and Refreshments
SANTA arrives at 12pm
Free Admission
For more information, or for directions,
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Caught on Camera: 2017 Edition Continued!
There is no doubt that when a loon raft is occupied by a loon, other animals will think twice about invading their space. That bill is a great weapon! But, when a raft is empty, other animals may use it as a resting spot as this family of ducks did in mid-June!
The following text and picture might be familiar to you from Tiffany Grade's weekly Squam report, but in case you didn't see it, here's an excerpt from her email:
"The Mink Island male was single-footedly responsible for 3 eggs ending up in the water this year. The pair's first nesting attempt failed when the male tipped over while climbing onto the raft and, while trying to regain his balance, accidentally booted both eggs into the water. You can just about hear him saying, "Oops." {Notice the open bill in the photo below as he looks over the edge of the raft}.
Hopefully this male will recover his sense of balance by next year!"
In the second nesting attempt on the same raft, the first egg was also kicked out of the nest by the male. The egg you see in the picture below is egg #2. Unfortunately, the egg was collected by Tiffany four days later after the loons abandoned the nest due to an intruding loon. It was fitting that Tiffany awarded the Mink Island male the "Klutziest Loon Award" in 2017!
 At one of the shoreline nest sites, a nest camera captured a showdown between these two little creatures. Who do you think would win? My money is on the crayfish!
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The Loon Preservation Committee is dedicated to restoring and maintaining a healthy population of loons throughout New Hampshire; monitoring the health and productivity of loon populations as sentinels of environmental quality; and promoting a greater understanding of loons and the natural world.
Sincerely,
Susie Burbidge
Outreach/Volunteer Coordinator
Loon Preservation Committee
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